Limping hen.

[jak2002003]

Today one of my hens is limping badly and can't keep up with the rest of the flock. She is a Japanese Bantam with very short legs so she is finding it really tough to get about.

This last couple of weeks has been awful with my birds.

2 weeks ago I came home to find one of my new silky chickens dead and my dog chasing the rest around the garden trying to catch them. After over 2 years of no problems with my dog and chickens my dog changed into a killing machine after that incident and now I have to keep them all well away form each other.

A few days later another silky hen had fallen into my pond and nearly drowned, in shock, and badly chilled. I thought she would die, but after a warm shower and drying with a warm hair dryer she pulled through over the next couple of days. (think silky chickens are not too smart).

Then everything calmed down.......but a week later a hen flew over the run fence and I came home to find her hiding under my pond equipment and my dog frantically trying to dig her out.

All her tail feathers had been torn out and also most of the feathers on one wing were missing and she had red bleeding skin, but thankfully no puncture wounds or broken bones. She was fine after she calmed down and now her feathers are re growing.

Yesterday one of my week old chicks was killed and eaten by a predator bird. And now......

today one of my hens is limping very badly. I picked her up and I can not find anything wrong with the leg or hip at all. There are no broken bones, no clicking or grinding noises, the joints all move fine and no swelling. Both legs and hips feel normal - I though maybe dislocated - but no. No blood. The feet are normal and clean. She does not hold the leg up, and I think the problem is in the hip area.

What could cause this? Do you think she got her leg stuck in something and its just a sprain? I have kept chickens with no problems for 3 years but just seem to be having a real run of bad luck with them at the moment.

 

[Kevin565]

Is she just limping on one leg or both?

 

[jak2002003]

Seems to be just the one leg. She seems to be having problems bringing the left leg forward easily. She is walking so slowly and bobs up and down each step. There are no breaks in the leg or toes and she does not seem in pain when I move the leg about.

I noticed some of her feathers just above the hip area were sticking out oddly. On closer examination they are turned around, and so curl outwards and not smooth with the direction of the body as they should be. I looked carefully at the base of these feathers, but there was nothing there.

I was thinking maybe she got her leg stuck the wire on top of the run, as the gaps are quite large, if she flew up there, and hurt herself trying to free herself.

When I was watching from a distance this evening she had separated herself from the flock and was laying stretched flat out on the ground with her neck stretched out in front of her, head on the floor. I have never seen my chickens rest like that before, only when they are chicks. I think some thing is not right with her. It was quite a sad site. Her mother hen was standing snuggled up to her as if to be comforting her and all the other hens and roosters were on the far side of the run. They were also all making a very quite gently whistling sound, which I have never heard them do before. It was all quite odd.

I am wondering if maybe she was stung by a scorpion when scratching about free range today, or maybe a small snake bit her (but I cant see any puncture holes). I do know we get scorpions in the garden. She rooted as normal tonight. Have to see what she is like tomorrow.